Superboy

Superboy is an identity used by several fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to Adventure Comics and other series featuring teenage superhero groups.

From the character's first published story in 1944 until 1992, the title Superboy was applied to versions of the adventures of Clark Kent as a boy, teenager or young adult. The primary settings for the stories were the fictional town of Smallville, the 30th century (where Superboy featured in time travel adventures with the Legion of Super-Heroes), and Clark's university. In 1993, a second Superboy was introduced, a young clone of Superman who was eventually given both the secret identity Conner Kent and the Kryptonian name Kon-El. In 2016, DC Comics introduced another Superboy, Jon Kent, the son of Superman and his wife Lois Lane.

Superboy was the first superhero to star in a successful solo title after World War II. During the Silver Age of Comic Books, Superboy was frequently the #2 best-selling superhero, with monthly issues of Superboy and Adventure Comics regularly selling over a million combined copies. Superboy and its subsequent adaptations have been credited with popularizing the prequel as a form of entertainment.

Versions of the characters have appeared in animation, films and television series, including Superboy and Smallville.